2009 / 2008 / 2007 / 2006

Marcel Betty - Nipissing District

(Left to right: Marcel Betty; Algoma - Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown)

Farmers, particularly in the north, know that frost can lift cement catch basins, posing a dangerous obstruction for equipment in their fields and rendering the drain inoperable. Marcel Betty put a lid on the problem by developing a safer field catch basin that works in areas where frost heaving is a problem. Its design is low cost, low maintenance and prevents wildlife from entering the drain. As a result, a safer field with proper drainage enables farmers to crop land that would otherwise be left as "wet spots". This innovation has been shared amongst the community and adapted for the winter conditions of the area.